Eurobike 2015 – Day 4.3
More shiny, brand new, drool inducing goodness from Eurobike. Stuff from Smith, Lupine Camelbak and Bell
On the Magura stand there has been this Intense M16, coloured up in the good old US flag.
Lupine have some new features for lights, including bluetooth on/off switch for the handlebars and a phone app which allows you to tailor the light to your specific requirements.
RST have a new DH fork called the “KILLAH”. 36mm stanchions, rebound/compression adjustment, 200mm travel, 26/27.5″ compatible.
Smith have a new range of mountain bike specific googles, in a huge range of colours and lenses.
“With a rich heritage in snow sports and motocross, Smith knows how to build goggles with superior optics, maximum ventilation and an integrated helmet fit that perform in a variety of conditions. In response to the needs of our team athletes and brand ambassadors, Smith created the new Squad MTB goggle”
The main features of the Squad goggle is the foam stripped away from the top, sides and bottom of the flexible frame. They’ve also added in vents across the top of the lens to help even further with ventilation.
The Squad goggle has been designed to work alongside their Forefront helmet. The Forerunner is Smith’s award winning helmet designed for all-mountain riding or racing. It’s available in 12 colours to match the goggles.
It’s not all about cars at Eurobike, some people get to arrive and depart in style more than others.
Camlebak have been working hard on helping the riders who race the enduro scene. We don’t always need to carry a great deal of gear, sometimes hardly any, for these instances we have the new hip pack.
The new Palos hip pack is designed for those rides when you want to keep weight to a minimum and possibly it’s a warm day, you don’t want a pack covering your whole back. It includes a 1.5L reservoir in a 2.5L compartments. It doesn’t include a separate tool roll like some of the other packs, to keep things simple, it is built in to the pack and can be folded out when needed. Additional storage can be found on either side of the waist belt, easy access for gels or bars. As there is no shoulder straps, the reservoir hose now runs around your waist (in either direction) and is attached with a clever quick attach magnetic holder.
As well as the Palos hip pack, there is another way of carrying your gear and keeping your back ventilated. The Lowrider range takes the bulk of the pack and hangs it low down on your back, keeping the upper back clear and well ventilated. This also keeps the centre of gravity low to aid stability and balance. As ever with Camelback, quality is brilliant and the attention to detail on the smaller things is still there. These new packs have a reservoir compression system, to help you reach the end of your fluids. It’s activated by pulling on small tabs on the waist belt, it compresses the bladder and holds everything nice and tight.
The Skyline comes in a range of sizes to keep most bases covered, each with a 3L reservoir. The reservoir is kept low in the pack to further help stability and balance, this is easily accessed through a zipped pocket in the back panel. As with the Pavos, the Skyline packs also include the magnetic hose lock and the reservoir compression system. The Skyline has enduro riders covered with small hooks included for carrying a helmet and straps underneath for carrying knee/elbow pads. Hopefully we’ll have these on test soon, watch this space.
Nothing new on the DH side from Bell, apart from some new new colour ways on the existing helmets.
Bell have put work into helmets for youths with this Sidetrack, new for 2016. A proper looking helmet for youths, with or without MIPS tech, size 50-57cm.
For the US market only, Bell have done a range of Star Wars inspired colour ways.
Bell have a good range of sponsored riders helmets on show – Brook MacDonald.
Danny Hart.